The present invention relates to the general field of low cost rectangular structures and more particularly, to a packaged kit adapted to use along with locally available materials and local, unskilled labor for such construction.
In every emerging Third World country, government and industry conspire to encourage economic development through housing and training of their citizens. The realities of Third World economics are such that the vast majority of these people will be without formal skills and will be living at a subsistence level. A great number of housing units will generally be required and these units must be extremely low in cost in order to be available in the necessary quantity, yet quality cannot be sacrificed. Solid masonry construction is preferred in the third world. Construction methods should be simple so as to be within the capabilities of local labor and reduce the need for expensive supervision and local materials should be used wherever possible so as to promote acceptance in local markets.
Over the years, this need has been recognized and addressed by others in a variety of designs and construction methods. In essence, these prior art designs and methods can be categorized as xe2x80x9csteel reinforced cementitious construction.xe2x80x9d
In U.S. Pat. No. 1,530,662, Sherwin Gibbons and Herman Hensel disclose a wall construction comprising two pieces of expanded metal mesh (lath) connected to opposite faces of studs and restrained by hook members from bulging when the internal spaces are packed with compacted soil. The external faces are then finished with cementitious plaster.
In U.S. Pat. No. 2,184,353, Marshall Leary discloses a relatively thin studless wall construction using two layers of metal lath separated by vertical, parallelly spaced rib members. Cementitious plaster applied to both outside surfaces is worked through the lath openings to fill the internal space.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,304,685, William Whetstone discloses expanded metal core members which may be joined together and used for construction of studless walls.
The core members may be assembled in a back-to-back relationship, so as to leave open interstices for insulating purposes, and also include outwardly extending legs to serve to define a plane for leveling the outside surface of a plastic or cementitious filler material.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,052,829, Ward Chapman discloses a building construction method using fabricated wall sections made of flat expanded metal panels rigidly supported by a permanent metal framework. The design of the wall sections may include doors, windows and size variations for different floor plans. Plaster may be applied to the outside only, or to both inside and outside according to the desired end use and budget of the end user.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,253,288, Joo Chun discloses another type of wall panel section for building construction. Chun teaches a wall panel comprising an open welded wire framework, which includes backing panels. The wall panels are joined together in the field and insulating foam is sprayed in place against the backing panels, so that it expands in place to form a monolithic interior wall shape reinforced and supported by a framework of welded wire. Conventional wall covering materials are applied over wire members which extend through the backing.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,559,752, Joseph Kieffer discloses a wall frame section, made of flat sheet metal, which is slit to form a monolithic, three dimensional frame section when expanded. Kieffer also teaches joining such frame sections together as a wall reinforcement structure by the use of a plurality of horizontal rods with end hooks to engage the vertical frame members.
All of the above art teaches innovative methods and structures for the construction of low cost housing as would be suitable to use in Third World scenarios. While this art recognizes the requirements of low cost, thermal insulation and function in general, none are adapted to address all of the somehow interrelated realities of providing housing to such countries. The nature of these Third World countries provides large numbers of inexpensive and largely unskilled laborers. Therefore, in the design of this housing, labor cost savings are less important than avoiding the need for scarce industrial skills such as welding and reading a tape measure.
Distribution of the required building materials and essential tools within the country must be considered as part of the total construction process. Therefore, it is desirable that the essential tools be either widely available or inexpensive and disposable.
The cement industry is often established early in the economic evolution of a Third World country and, in such a case, it will almost invariably be controlled by a dominant political entity. Therefore, from the market viewpoint, this housing design should emphasize the use of locally supplied concrete. If, on the other hand, the houses are to be built in a locale where concrete is unavailable, the design should permit the use of clay, mud or other alternative local material.
A first object of the present inventions therefore, is to provide building construction methods and designs that are inherently inexpensive. A second object of the present inventions is to provide building construction methods and designs that are not merely inexpensive, but also can be implemented in the absence of industrial skills and resources. A third object is that the present inventions be of a nature that is readily transported to and distributed within Third World countries. A fourth object is that the construction methods and designs of the present inventions be compatible with the usage of local materials wherever possible. A fifth object is to produce a finished structure that is similar in appearance to other local structures.
The present inventions contemplate improved methods and apparatus for facilitating the construction of low cost structures. Practice of the present inventions uses some steps and apparatus well known in the construction arts and therefore, not the subject of detailed discussion herein.
In a preferred embodiment of the present inventions, a kit for building one structure shell, including foundation, exterior walls, roof structure and roof covering is packaged separately. The construction kit includes all materials required to build a single complete structure, except for concrete or an alternative filler material. A separate kit contains tools and reusable parts for building of a group of structures. The tools and reusable parts kit comprises:
(a) shovel;
(b) wrench;
(c) plastering tools;
(d) hog-ring pliers;
(e) wire cutters;
(f) plastic tubing for a water level;
(g) stake driving tool;
(h) horizontal bracing members and attachment devices;
(i) diagonal squaring cables of adjustable length; and
(j) pictorial instruction book.
The construction kit comprises the following materials:
(a) folded, rectangular, waterproof floor cover;
(b) four corner post assemblies;
(c) two temporary top beams for the house side-walls;
(d) roof truss components;
(e) accordion folded, expanded metal mesh wall reinforcement panels;
(f) door and window sub-frames;
(g) wires and tensioners for stretching between the corner posts to define interior and exterior wall surfaces;
(h) roof covering materials; and
(i) miscellaneous hardware.
According to a preferred embodiment of the present inventions, an area somewhat larger than the length and width dimensions of the building is cleared and leveled at the proposed building site. A rectangular, waterproof floor covering sheet is then unfolded and stretched out on the leveled area. This floor cover serves a dual role in that it provides waterproof flooring and acts as a square, accurate layout template for the basic dimensions of the house. The shovel and stake driving tool furnished in the tool kit serve as the measuring means required for all dimensions to be determined on-site. Corner posts of uniform height are set at each corner of the level, rectangular floor. Temporary horizontal side beams and permanently installed roof beams are positioned and braced by turnbuckle diagonal braces of predetermined length so as to make the wall framing square and vertical. Horizontal wire members are placed to define the inner and outer wall construction surfaces and vertically folded, expanded metal mesh sheets are placed between these inner and outer construction surfaces to provide reinforcement. The expanded mesh also serves as lath for the application of locally supplied cementitious filler for the walls. In this manner, using unskilled local labor and available local materials, a relatively inexpensive, steel-reinforced building structure is provided.